To a query posed by a student about responsibility and courage, Kiran Bedi, the anti-corruption activist, replied, courage is all about decision. “But right from childhood, girls are confined to their homes. Boys play outside and naturally, develop courage. I think it is all about decisions you make and the calculated risks you take. So play games and become courageous,” she exhorted.
The graduates of the Indian School of Business were all ears on Friday when India’s first woman IPS officer shared experiences of her days in uniform, before and after. The officer of the 1972 Batch and social activist was in the city to speak on ‘Women in Business’ at the two-day ISB Leadership Summit 2012.
Dream big!
WIB stands for Women in Business, she pointed out and felt a woman had the option of either staying a wib or dreaming big and focusing on larger goals. Addressing ISB students who gathered in large numbers to listen to her, she cited her own examples to drive home the point that a woman could dream big and realise the same. “It was because I had a proper plan of action in my teens about what I wanted to be, I achieved what I did. When I was growing up, the police service was my universe. I used to tour the country for tennis tournaments for 7-8 months and yet, I used to have fewer clothes than books. Academics was equally important which is why I was eligible for double scholarship when I applied for MA Political Science in Chandigarh. I earned the scholarships even when my family could afford my education and I wanted to clear services in one shot,” said the officer who retired as the Director General of India’s Bureau of Police Research and Development.
Always Possible and I Dare!
Her book, Always Possible explained about what she saw during service, what she did and what resulted from her actions whereas her another work, I Dare gives a detailed analysis of each of her postings, innovative policing and how she reached out to meet her goals. “I used to be on streets for nearly 18 hours a day when I was the DCP in Delhi. There used to be no traffic discipline and the 1982 Asian games was fast approaching,” she recalled, adding, “Without knowing the roads in Delhi, my only aim was to create history; we were widely appreciated for our tremendous enforcements at a time when there was no technology for our support.”
One should focus only on the larger goals and not one’s own insecurity, she stressed.
Develop community leadership
Urging the students to develop a sense of community leadership, she said the source of all her strength was community leadership. “I formed two NGOs when I was a serving cop,” she said adding that she expected all the students to trigger their own movements. “I think each of you could be a movement by yourself in business, national services or community leadership,” added the 53 year old.
Business Schools for the poor
Kiran Bedi said that she along with her associates was starting business schools across the country for underprivileged boys and girls and sought support from the ISB. “We have a proper plan of converting our community colleges into business schools for the poor. It will be informal, customised and non-bureaucratic but with quality syllabus so that they can get a proper certificate of a business school,” said the 1994 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee.
